Hoyo de Monterrey Le Hoyo du Député is part of the Le Hoyo cigar series, which dates back to the 1940s. We've reviewed some of the cigars from the series previously: Le Hoyo du Roi and Le Hoyo des Dieux. Le Hoyo series was initially designed to offer a richer, more full-bodied smoking experience, but I'm not sure there's still a significant body difference with other cigars within the brand. These Cuban puros are made from tobacco leaves grown in Vuelta Abajo. They are quite reasonably priced; let’s see how one measured up.

The Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure de Luxe is a Cuban puro released by Habanos S.A. in October of 2012. The cigar was released as a retail exclusive for La Casa del Habano stores, and comes packaged in wooden slide boxes. Each box contains ten stogies. After giving the Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure de Luxe a try, I was very glad I’d picked up a box; just like the H. Upmann Royal Robusto, this LCDH release is a success.

The Hoyo de Monterrey Grand Epicure is one of the first 2013 limited editions to be released this year and this fat 55 ring gauge cigar really looks the part. Personally, I’ve always been a fan of the Hoyo line which is known for its sweeter profile. As many aficionados know, the Edición Limitada cigars are hand rolled by expert rollers and the wrapper, filler and binder leaves come from carefully selected plants from the Vuelta Abajo plantations (the best growing region in Cuba) and aged a minimum of 2 years.

The robusto is my preferred vitola. The Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure No. 2 is perhaps one of the most popular robustos on the market and is one of those handful of cigars that must always be stocked in my humidor for good reason. This cigar has been reviewed many times because of its popularity. I wanted to share my own experience with this cigar. This sample came from a 25-count box purchased in Cuba earlier this year. It carries a box date of December 2011.

The Hoyo de Monterrey Short Hoyo Pirámides Limited Edition 2011 was released at the end of last year by Habanos S.A, describing it as mild yet complex, a perfect cigar for beginning smokers. I managed to get mine (smoked a fiver for this review) in Rome's La Casa del Habano this spring and had waited a couple of months before sitting down tête-à-tête. Seems like it was worth the wait.

Hoyo de Monterrey Petit Robusto has become one of my go-to cigars lately. It totally fits my current needs - a short smoke with a reliable construction and enough punch to be suitable as an after-dinner cigar. For this reason, the 4-inches long Cuban puro made it to my top Cuban cigars of 2011 list.

The Hoyo de Monterrey Short Hoyo Corona is a pre-1960 release and it was discontinued in 2006. I really enjoy the Hoyo des Dieux and Double Corona vitolas but to me Hoyo de Monterrey is a marca I am still discovering. I love trying new cigars and this was the perfect one to do so. It was much shorter than anything I had ever tried in their portfolio. Hopefully it will match up to its bigger brothers.

I acquired a couple of these tubos in a B&M cigar shop in Geneva, Switzerland. I can’t really explain the reason behind this purchase as there were more attractive cigars on the shelves... I probably thought that I might finally be able to find a Cuban tubo that I’ll like. I think that I’ll have to keep looking.